LANSING, MI — An evolving bill to allow medical marijuana dispensaries in Michigan could also provide a regulatory framework for full legalization of the drug, according to the sponsor.

State Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville, has been working on medical marijuana dispensary legislation for several years — a version passed the Michigan House by a wide margin in late 2013 before stalling in the Senate — but recent discussions have led to major changes in the bill.

"I think we've gotten more buy-in from the police groups, because it looks like we need some regulation of marijuana in place before a possible legalization referendum," Callton said, referencing active petition drives seeking to put legalization proposals before voters in 2016.

"If we don't have anything in place, and suddenly it's legal, it's going to be the wild wild west. It's going to be hard to shove Pandora back in the box."

Workers at Stoney Brothers, a marijuana dispensary in Portland, Oregon have approved the first-ever union contract for cannabis workers in Oregon and have joined United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555. The vote to approve the contract was unanimous, and sets a new standard for cannabis workers in Oregon.

“With our new contract, I am excited to have paid holidays and vacation time,” said Kyle Maestra, a site manager at Stoney Brothers. ”That is unusual in the cannabis industry.”

The three-year contract includes salaries starting at $15/hour with some making as high as $34/hour, regular raises, affordable health insurance through a multi-employer fund, pension contributions, paid vacations and sick leave, as well as seniority and grievance protections.

“All workers deserve the benefits of a union contract,” said Dan Clay, President of Local 555, “and workers in the cannabis industry are no different. Starting with the workers at Stoney Brothers, we can build a home-grown Oregon cannabis industry that respects workers and provides good, family-supporting jobs.”

Workers at Stoney Brothers have expressed excitement about their industry-leading compensation package.

Israel's Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman announced on Monday that medical marijuana will now be available at pharmacies with a prescription.

According to the Times of Israel, cannabis will be prescribed and supervised liked narcotic medications—and the move will ease pressure on overcrowded dispensaries.

“Today pharmacies give out all kind of drugs, including narcotics such as morphine, and it’s done in a perfectly orderly fashion," Litzman said. "So marijuana will be handled the same way. It will be prescribed and monitored by the same standards as other medications.”

In addition, the decision will allow more doctors to prescribe cannabis—a practice that had been reserved only for special Ministry of Health appointed physicians and had been criticized for its bureaucratic obstacles.